Rugby Middle hosts Mathcounts competition

Ethan Campbell, 12, takes part in the Mathcounts Competition at Rugby Middle School Thursday.

Patrick Sullivan/Times-News

By NANCY TANKERTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Friday, January 24, 2014 at 5:34 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 24, 2014 at 5:34 p.m.

Shannon Sellers, an eighth-grader at Rugby Middle, sat hunched over her sheet of math problems at a Mathcounts competition Thursday at her school. Her concentration didn't waver as she used her graphing calculator to solve complex geometry and algebra questions well above her grade level.

Ethan Campbell, 12, takes part in the Mathcounts Competition at Rugby Middle School Thursday.

Patrick Sullivan/Times-News

The competition brought together sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students from Apply Valley, Flat Rock, Hendersonville and Rugby middle schools and Mountain Community School. Nearly 40 students tested their mathematical skills against each other.

“I'm a little bit nervous,” Shannon said before the testing got under way. An A student in algebra, she added, “I hope to do well today.”

For months, Shannon has been practicing at home by taking online tests in addition to weekly afterschool practice classes.

“It's been fun. I enjoy math because I like the teacher, Miss Futch, who teaches eighth -rade math and algebra,” she said. “We do competitions in our classroom after school on Thursdays just to practice, and we had a math scavenger hunt and a game day.”

He added that he likes the Mathcounts weekly afterschool program because “I like that we get to do math that doesn't seem like school.” As for the competition, he said, “I'm just here to have fun.”

Hendersonville Middle eighth-grader Rachel Morrow, who has a record of As in math, agreed. “In Mathcounts you get to do math that's fun and you get to hang out with your friends, because you've convinced them to do it, too,” she said. “Some people are born good at math and some people aren't, but with Mathcounts you get experience and practice and if you work hard, you can become good at math.”

Sharon Ashe, who serves as director of sixth- through 12th-grade math and science for Henderson County Public Schools, said the Mathcounts competitions are valuable for students because “Mathematics is used in everyday life and so many careers these students may pursue. We want our students to be prepared for a global economy and career, and be college-ready.”

She added that the Mathcounts competition challenges middle schoolers to do math problems well above their grade levels.

“In most cases, the problems they encounter are very different from problems they may have in class. They're upper-level problems,” she said.

Thomas Bushe, a seventh-grade math and science teacher at Hendersonville Middle who is also a Mathcounts coach, says the national program gives him a chance to have a bit of fun with his students while they learn valuable lessons. He likes to bring snacks to his Monday afterschool Mathcounts lessons.

“The kids get to see you in a different way than they do in the classroom. Sometimes math class can be sort of rigid. Mathcounts is a more laid-back environment where the kids can loosen up,” he said.

Rugby Middle sixth-grader Graham Grush said he loves Mathcounts. In preparation for the competition, he's had his parents make up math problems and quiz him. Going into the contest, he said he was “pretty nervous, but I think I'll do pretty well. I love math and it just takes me to the next level.”

Graham ended up placing seventh out of the nearly 40 contestants. His school, Rugby Middle, was the winning team and received a trophy to mark the win. Hendersonville Middle placed second.

Individual winners were:

First place: Connor Awald, Rugby Middle

Second place: Oussa Bun, Rugby Middle

Third place: Rachel Morrow, Hendersonville Middle

Fourth place: Megan Pryor, Hendersonville Middle

Fifth place: Gage Ellis, Rugby Middle

Sixth place: Josh Hainsel, Rugby Middle

Seventh place: Graham Grush, Rugby Middle

Eighth place: Heather Pinkston, Hendersonville Middle

Ninth place: Shannon Sellers, Rugby Middle

10th place: Hunter Koch, Rugby Middle

For his first-place win, Awald received a new Texas Instruments graphing calculator.

<p>Shannon Sellers, an eighth-grader at Rugby Middle, sat hunched over her sheet of math problems at a Mathcounts competition Thursday at her school. Her concentration didn't waver as she used her graphing calculator to solve complex geometry and algebra questions well above her grade level. </p><p>The competition brought together sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students from Apply Valley, Flat Rock, Hendersonville and Rugby middle schools and Mountain Community School. Nearly 40 students tested their mathematical skills against each other. </p><p>“I'm a little bit nervous,” Shannon said before the testing got under way. An A student in algebra, she added, “I hope to do well today.”</p><p>For months, Shannon has been practicing at home by taking online tests in addition to weekly afterschool practice classes. </p><p>“It's been fun. I enjoy math because I like the teacher, Miss Futch, who teaches eighth -rade math and algebra,” she said. “We do competitions in our classroom after school on Thursdays just to practice, and we had a math scavenger hunt and a game day.”</p><p>Ethan Campbell, a seventh-grader from Mountain Community, felt confident going into Thursday's competition. </p><p>“I'm good at math,” he said. “Most of the time I get As.”</p><p>He added that he likes the Mathcounts weekly afterschool program because “I like that we get to do math that doesn't seem like school.” As for the competition, he said, “I'm just here to have fun.”</p><p>Hendersonville Middle eighth-grader Rachel Morrow, who has a record of As in math, agreed. “In Mathcounts you get to do math that's fun and you get to hang out with your friends, because you've convinced them to do it, too,” she said. “Some people are born good at math and some people aren't, but with Mathcounts you get experience and practice and if you work hard, you can become good at math.”</p><p>Sharon Ashe, who serves as director of sixth- through 12th-grade math and science for Henderson County Public Schools, said the Mathcounts competitions are valuable for students because “Mathematics is used in everyday life and so many careers these students may pursue. We want our students to be prepared for a global economy and career, and be college-ready.”</p><p>She added that the Mathcounts competition challenges middle schoolers to do math problems well above their grade levels. </p><p>“In most cases, the problems they encounter are very different from problems they may have in class. They're upper-level problems,” she said. </p><p>Thomas Bushe, a seventh-grade math and science teacher at Hendersonville Middle who is also a Mathcounts coach, says the national program gives him a chance to have a bit of fun with his students while they learn valuable lessons. He likes to bring snacks to his Monday afterschool Mathcounts lessons.</p><p>“The kids get to see you in a different way than they do in the classroom. Sometimes math class can be sort of rigid. Mathcounts is a more laid-back environment where the kids can loosen up,” he said. </p><p>Rugby Middle sixth-grader Graham Grush said he loves Mathcounts. In preparation for the competition, he's had his parents make up math problems and quiz him. Going into the contest, he said he was “pretty nervous, but I think I'll do pretty well. I love math and it just takes me to the next level.”</p><p>Graham ended up placing seventh out of the nearly 40 contestants. His school, Rugby Middle, was the winning team and received a trophy to mark the win. Hendersonville Middle placed second. </p><p>Individual winners were:</p><p>First place: Connor Awald, Rugby Middle </p><p>Second place: Oussa Bun, Rugby Middle</p><p>Third place: Rachel Morrow, Hendersonville Middle</p><p>Fourth place: Megan Pryor, Hendersonville Middle</p><p>Fifth place: Gage Ellis, Rugby Middle</p><p>Sixth place: Josh Hainsel, Rugby Middle</p><p>Seventh place: Graham Grush, Rugby Middle</p><p>Eighth place: Heather Pinkston, Hendersonville Middle </p><p>Ninth place: Shannon Sellers, Rugby Middle</p><p>10th place: Hunter Koch, Rugby Middle</p><p>For his first-place win, Awald received a new Texas Instruments graphing calculator. </p><p>Reach Tanker at 828-694-7871 or nancy.tanker@blueridgenow.com.</p>